What Don’t You Have?
The quest for development for the African context has been largely elusive despite the application of numerous theories and strategies. Contemporary explanations do not sufficiently account for the root cause of the persistent underdevelopment. This article argues that the secular conception and ap...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Network for African Congregational Theology
2021-05-01
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| Series: | African Theological Journal for Church and Society |
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| Online Access: | https://atjcs.netact.org.za/index.php/netact/article/view/31 |
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| author | Josephine Munyao |
| author_facet | Josephine Munyao |
| author_sort | Josephine Munyao |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The quest for development for the African context has been largely elusive despite the application of numerous theories and strategies. Contemporary explanations do not sufficiently account for the root cause of the persistent underdevelopment. This article argues that the secular conception and approach to development defeats the process from the onset because it starts the process from the wrong question: ‘What don’t you have?’ strengthening contextual weaknesses. It proposes that development should start from God’s contextual endowment and strengths determined through the right biblical question: ‘What do you have?’ The purpose of this article is to challenge the sacred-secular dichotomisation that consigns development to secular public spaces while limiting theology and the church’s functions around people’s private and spiritual life aspects. We recommend theological participation, indeed leadership in the conception and approach to development because development is by nature theological business.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6290a24b8e7f467aa8779ba53947dfef |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2708-7557 2708-7565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | Network for African Congregational Theology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Theological Journal for Church and Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-6290a24b8e7f467aa8779ba53947dfef2025-08-20T02:07:30ZengNetwork for African Congregational TheologyAfrican Theological Journal for Church and Society2708-75572708-75652021-05-0121What Don’t You Have?Josephine Munyao The quest for development for the African context has been largely elusive despite the application of numerous theories and strategies. Contemporary explanations do not sufficiently account for the root cause of the persistent underdevelopment. This article argues that the secular conception and approach to development defeats the process from the onset because it starts the process from the wrong question: ‘What don’t you have?’ strengthening contextual weaknesses. It proposes that development should start from God’s contextual endowment and strengths determined through the right biblical question: ‘What do you have?’ The purpose of this article is to challenge the sacred-secular dichotomisation that consigns development to secular public spaces while limiting theology and the church’s functions around people’s private and spiritual life aspects. We recommend theological participation, indeed leadership in the conception and approach to development because development is by nature theological business. https://atjcs.netact.org.za/index.php/netact/article/view/31DevelopmentTheologyTransformationAfrica |
| spellingShingle | Josephine Munyao What Don’t You Have? African Theological Journal for Church and Society Development Theology Transformation Africa |
| title | What Don’t You Have? |
| title_full | What Don’t You Have? |
| title_fullStr | What Don’t You Have? |
| title_full_unstemmed | What Don’t You Have? |
| title_short | What Don’t You Have? |
| title_sort | what don t you have |
| topic | Development Theology Transformation Africa |
| url | https://atjcs.netact.org.za/index.php/netact/article/view/31 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT josephinemunyao whatdontyouhave |